COVID-19 Update

The health and well-being of our visitors, volunteers and staff is a priority at the Kirklees Light Railway and, so, the railway has been closed to the public until further notice since the evening of Friday 20 March 2020, following UK Government guidance.

Following the UK Government’s statement on the evening of Sunday 10 May 2020, there are currently no changes to the situation as it effects the railway and our operations. We remain closed to the public until further guidance for the leisure and hospitality industry is released. Our closure aims to protect staff, volunteers and visitors and to help halt the spread of COVID-19. Please remember: the railway is closed to the public but the railway line is still operational, with works/inspection trains running at varying times of day.

We await further, detailed guidance regarding the railway’s ability to re-open and under what conditions/restrictions this might be. The Prime Minister’s statement on Sunday 10 May 2020 indicated that operations would not be able to resume under any circumstances until at least July 2020 as a best case scenario. As a result, all the railways operations, experiences, events and scheduled visits have been cancelled through to the end of June. In addition to this, the railway is also cancelling the Day Out with Thomas events scheduled for July and August 2020, and also cancelling the Cocktail Express evening due to take place on 11 July 2020. These cancellations have been made with a very heavy heart and we are so very sorry to everyone who will be disappointed by this. Unfortunately, we have no other choice. We do not want to put anyone at risk and we do not want to run sub-standard events.

We fully anticipate that, when we are allowed to re-open, there will be a vast array of strict measures and restrictions in place to allow us to safely operate in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Please be prepared for changes in the way we operate and please respect the changes we do have to make. Whatever new measures we implement in the weeks/months to come will be done with only one goal in mind: keeping our visitors, staff and volunteers as safe as possible. We will keep all visitors informed of our plans via our website and social media platforms.

We will, of course, review the situation as often as we can following further Government guidance.

We would like to thank everyone for their amazing support, patience and kind understanding during these unpredictable, unprecedented times.

Please do read the FAQs below, where we have attempted to answer as many of the most common enquiries as possible. If you do need to contact us directly, please email info@kirkleeslightrailway.com or call 01484 865727. We do ask for your patience when anticipating a response as our staffing levels are now at a minimum level but we will respond to everyone as soon as we can.

Can I make an online booking with you?

Our online booking system remains live but will not currently accept ticket bookings for April, May or June. If you do make a booking for beyond these dates, and the COVID-19 situation continues and affects those bookings, we will offer you a transfer of your tickets or a refund (minus the booking fee).

I already have a booking/experience booked with you between now & the end of June. What should I do?

We tried to contact all ticket/experience holders or birthday/group/school booking organisers who have a booking with us between now and the end of June. If we have been unable to contact you by phone, we have emailed you. Please check your junk/spam folders. If you have a booking but cannot see evidence of any contact from us, please email info@kirkleeslightrailway.com or call 01484 865727 and leave a message. Sometimes there is a wrong digit in numbers and email addresses! We will get back to you as soon as we can to discuss your options.

I have already booked a ticket/experience for July or beyond, what should I do?

We will contact you. In the first instance, contact will be made by telephone. If we are unable to reach you, we will send you an email. Please do keep an eye out for missed calls and emails in your junk/spam folders. There is only one member of staff now in the KLR office to deal with all refunds and administration and she is working very reduced hours as a result of COVID-19. Please bear with us at this difficult time as we try to contact everyone.

I have tickets booked for a Day Out with Thomas in July and/or August. What should I do?

If your tickets were booked via www.dayoutwiththomas.co.uk, you will need to contact Quay Tickets on info@quaytickets.com or 0843 208 1840 to either swap your tickets to the Day Out with Thomas event in November or to request a refund.

For all other ticket holders, the KLR will contact you.

I have booked an event ticket - will I get a refund?

If the KLR has to cancel an event, the railway will contact you with the options available. This is usually a transfer to an alternative event (subject to exclusions) or the offer a full refund minus the booking fee.

I have Virgin Gift Experience voucher - what if I cannot come or you are not open before the validity date ends?

We have attempted to contact all Virgin Experience Day customers with a booking in April, May or June. If you have not heard from us, please contact us on info@kirkleeslightrailway.com or 01484 865727 and we will get back to you regarding your options.

If you have a Virgin Experience Day voucher that is due to expire please contact Virgin directly: Virgin have already extended their voucher valid date by 3 months.

You can extend your Virgin voucher date by up to 3 months at their website.

We will update this statement as and when necessary. Please remember to stay indoors, stay safe and adhere to Government advice. We look forward to welcoming you all back when it is safe to do so.